Game-exhibiting device.



W. G. ASHLEY.

GAME EXHIBITING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.5, 1917. RENEWED AUG. 1s, 1.918.

Patented Oqt. 8,1918.

(Mommy Lesa-e30.

, WED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. ASHLEY, on NEW snnronn; MASSACHUSETTS, nssrsnon 'ro STANDARD.

7. BALL PLAYER CORPORATION, OF NEW BEDFORI), MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION I 0 F MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME-EXHIBITING- DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 5,; 1917, Serial No. 205,592. Renewed August16, 1918 Serial No. 250,236.

To all whom it may concern: a

'Be it known that I, WILLLAM G. Asrrnnr, a citizen of the United States,and residing atfNew Bedford, Bristol county, State of Massachusetts,have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Game-Exhabm Devices,of which the following is a Specification. a r

The present invention relatesto improvements' in apparatus forexhibiting the.

progress of games played with a bat and ball and is particularly animprovement upon the apparatus illustrated and descr bed in my priorPatent, No. 1,216,261, dated February 20, 1917.

The object of'the improvements is to provide. the apparatus of Saidearlier patent with means for visually indicatlng the actions of abatsman in striking at or hitting a ball, whereby the progress of abaseball game, for example, may be more completely 1 represented. v

' In the accompanylng drawing:

Figure 1 is a face View of an exhibition apparatus embodying the I Fig.2 is a rear view;

invention;-

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale, showingseveralof the parts in a difierent position;

Figs. 4, '5 and 6 are detail views. Referring to the drawingit *will beseen that" the apparatus like thatof the patent referred to comprises astructure including a sheet-metal member 10 on both faces of which aresuitable representations of a base 'bal'lfield, said'mem being arrangedtween racks A, B, for cards or plates bearing the n'amesof players andother information concerning the game to be represented.

All of these parts are mounted in a Suitable frame 11. j

An electromagnet 12 is supported in rear of the plate 10, from a pin orstud 13, by a collapsible arm 14 or other Suitable means permitting freemovement of the magnet over the surface of the member '10, and theweight of the magnet is counterbalanced by weights 20, 21, which areconnected by cables 15, 16 with a pin 17, said cables being guided oversuitable pulleys 18, 19.

. Current is] supplied to the magnet 12 through a conductor that extendsover suitl'able pulleys 25, 26 and 27, .a Weight 28 beingconnectedtherewith between the pulleys- 26, 27to maintain the conductor properlytaut at all times. r

A ball 22 of ma netic materialis adapted to travel over t erepresentation of the game field on thefront face of'the inember 10 inaccordance with movements of the magnet 12 and a trough 23 is providedto receive .the ball when theunag'net is deenergized.

Patented Oct. '8, 1918. I

* A,miniatu re bat '30. is supporited on one 35. When the solenoid isenergized the shaft 31 will be rocked to cause the bat 20 to swing overthe home plate in a manj ner simulating the acutal movement of a batsmanin striking at or hitting the ball. A stop 36 is provided to limit theswinging movement'ofi the batand the weightof the latter is sufficientto restore the parts to normal position when the solenoid isdeenergized. i

' The solenoid 35 is included in a circuit with a'battery 40 which isadapted to be closed automatically by the action of a button or contactactuator 41 on the cable 16 by which one of the counter weights, 21, for

the electromagnet 12 is supported.

One of the line wires from the battery 40 is divided into two sectionsadapted to be connected by manipulation of a manual switch 42 and theterminal of said wire is electrically connected with a contact 43pivotally supported on a bracket extending rearward from the board.

The other line of the circuitcomprises a wire 44 connecting the batterywith the solenoid and a wire 45 leading from the solenoid to a. contactmember 46 in the path of the pivotally mounted contact 43.

As shown particularly in Fig. 5 the contact 43 is provided. with arelatively fiat section that is normally held substantially parallel tothe contact 46, but slightly separated therefrom, by the action of aspring 43 and is provided with a laterally extending arm 40 'to the freeend of whiclris pivoted a finger 43 that extends into the path of theactuator 41. Therefore as the electromagnet 12 is moved to cause theball 22 to travel from the pitchers position to the batsmans positionthe actuator 41 will engage the finger 43 and turn the contact 43 aboutits axis into contact with the contact 46 thus closing the circuit andenergizing the solenoid if the switch 42 has been previously closed. Theparts are so positioned that the movement of the magnet 12 to carry theball from the pitchers position to the catchers position will shift theactuator above the finger 43. As soon as the actuator passes fromengagement with the contact 43 the latter will be returned to its normalposition by the spring 43*, breaking the circuit through the solenoidand permitt ng the bat to automatically'return to the position shown inFig. 1. As the actuator is lowered by movement of the electro-magnet 12away from the batters position it will again strike the finger 43 whichwill swing about its pivot on the arm 40 without affecting the positionof the contact member 43.

It will be understood that if the play to be illustrated is to include astrike, or a hitting of the ball by the batsman, the operator willadjust the manual switch 42 prior to shifting the electro-magnet tocarry the ball from the pitchers to the batsmans position and will opensaid switch after said play has been completed. When the play does notinvolvea strike or a hit-' ting of the ball by the batsmanthe switch 42is left in open position andthe shifting of the contact 43 against thecontact 46 does not therefore energize the solenoid and produce anymovement of the bat 30.

The operation of the apparatus will, it is, thought, be clear from thedrawings and the foregoing description.

While one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and describedin detail it will be evident that the invention is not limited to theexact construction shown.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto beobtained by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for exhibiting the progress of a game played with aball and bat, the combination with an exhibition board having on oneface a representation of a game field, a miniature bat pivotally mountedon the board at the batsmans position on said representation, a ballmovable over the representation of the game field on the board, meansfor moving the ball, and means for turning the bat on its 'pivot toindicate the act of the batsman in striking at or hitting a ball.

for turning the bat on its pivot, for the purpose described. a 3. In anapparatus for exhibitin the progress of a game played with a bal andbat, the combination with an exhibition board having on one face arepresentation of a game field, a miniature bat pivotally mounted on theboard at the batsmans position on said representation, a ball movableover the representation of the game field on the board, means for movingthe ball, a soleno1d having its core connected with the bat, an electriccircuit including the solenoid, and means controlled by the ball movingmeans for closing said circuit, for the purpose described.

4. In an apparatus for exhibiting the progress of a game played with aball and bat, the combination with an upright exhibition board having onits front surface a representation of a game field; a miniaturebatmounted on a shaft journaled in hearings in the board adjacent thebatsmans position on said game field representation, a ball mov ableover the representation of the game field on the board, means for movingthe ball including a member inrear of the board, a solenoid having itscore connected with the bat supporting shaft in rear of the board, an

. electriccircuit including a source of current,

the solenoid and two normally separated contacts, and means controlledby the ball moving devices for bringing said contacts together, for thepurpose described.

5. In an apparatus for exhibiting the progress of a game played with aball and bat, the combination with an exhibition board having on oneface a representation of a game field, a miniature bat pivotally mountedon the board at the batsmans position on said representation, a ball ofmagnetic material movable over the representation of the game field onthe board, an electromagnet for moving the ball, and means controlled'bymovement of the magnet for turning the bat on its pivot, for the purposedescribed.

6. In anapparatus for exhibiting the progress of a game played with aball and bat, the combination with. an exhibition board having on oneface a representation of a game field, a miniature bat pivotally mountedon the board at the batsmans posi tion on said representation, a ball ofmagnetic material movable over the representation of the game field onthe board, an electromagnet for moving the ball, arranged in rear of theboard, a solenoid arranged in 5 rear of the board and having its coreconnected with the pivot of the bat, an electric circuit including asource of power and the solenoid, and means controlled by movement ofthe electromagnet for closing said circuit, for the purpose described.10

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM G. ASHLEY.

